Paying Respects
by donnag76
Summary: Tony uses a death to teach Tali a lesson about respect and ends up learning a few things of his own. Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own anything. If I did, we'd already have a Tiva reunion. Reviews are appreciated. Happy Reading!


**Paying Respects**

The parking lot at the airfield was practically empty. Tony steered his rental car into a spot near the gate. He turned off the engine and looked through the chain-link fence, remembering the last time he was here. Here and now, the long flight back to DC seemed like a million years ago.

"Why are we here, Daddy?"

He looked into the rearview mirror at the little girl in the backseat. "I told you. The man on the plane is an old friend of Ima's. We are here to pay our respects."

"How do we pay him if he is dead?"

He saw the look he received in return and wanted to laugh. He'd seen it before when the meaning of American idioms escaped her mother. Clearing his throat, Tony explained, "We don't pay him with money. That means that we...respect them even though they're dead; we honor their memory." This seemed to satisfy Tali, at least for the moment. Tony exited the car and by the time he opened the rear door, Tali had already extracted herself out of her booster seat. She was smiling up at him, ready to go, a smile that reminded him exactly how much of _him_ was in his daughter. "C'mon you little Houdini," he said, extending his hand. After helping her out of the car, father and daughter walked hand-in-hand to the gatehouse.

They found the gatehouse deserted and the gate locked. Tony looked inside the window of the small room, but found nothing. "The young man said he would be back," an unseen voice told him. Tony turned to see an elderly woman sitting on a bench that ran along the side of the building. "I'm sorry. I hope I didn't startle you."

"No, ma'am," Tony replied with a smile.

She gestured to the empty seat beside her. "You are welcome to wait with me."

"Thank you," Tony said. He sat and Tali climbed onto his lap. "Have you been waiting long?"

"I do not think so," she said. "When you are as old as I am, you do not bother to count minutes."

"We're waiting on an airplane," Tali offered. "We're gonna pay our respects."

"I am also waiting on an airplane," the lady said with sadness in her voice. "My son is onboard, coming home for the final time."

"Adam Eschel?" Tony asked.

"Yes. You knew my son?"

"Yes, ma'am. I worked with him on a case once." Tony shifted Tali and offered his hand. "I am Anthony DiNozzo, ma'am."

"I am Naomi Eschel, but no more 'ma'am'. Please, call me Naomi."

"As long as you call me 'Tony.'"

A light came into the old woman's eyes. "You are Ziva's Tony." She took his hand. "When she returned for Director David's funeral, the only times I saw her smile was when she spoke of you. You brought her joy even when you were not there." Naomi turned her attention to Tali and studied her. "This is Ziva's child," she whispered into Tony's ear. She spoke it as a statement, not a question.

"_Ken_," Tony replied. "Can you introduce yourself?" he asked his daughter.

"My name is Tali. I'm five." The little girl held up all of her fingers to illustrate her statement.

"Hello, Tali." Naomi leaned in again to whisper into Tony's ear. "Rivka would love this one."

"She keeps me on my toes," Tony confessed.

"That family has known much death. I have known them many, many years and I saw them all. Rivka. Tali. Ari. The Director." It didn't escape Tony's notice that Mrs. Eschel purposefully avoided mentioning Eli David by name for a second time. Even then, she spoke his Mossad title like it left a bad taste in her mouth. "Then, Ziva and now, my Adam." She shook her head slowly and clucked her tongue. "So much death. But, now, there is new life."

"I'm sorry that your son is dead," Tali said, sincerely. She gave the older woman a copy of the smile that won her mother's heart long ago.

"_Toda_, _y__aldati_." She patted Tali's knee. "I am glad that you came to pay your respects."

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of jangling keys and someone entering the gatehouse. "I am sorry for the delay, Mrs. Eschel." A young soldier leaned out the window, noticing Tony and Tali for the first time. "May I help you?" he asked brusquely.

"They are with me," Naomi informed him. "They are family."

The young man eyed Tony suspiciously, but his _Ima_ would never abide with his disputing the word of an elder. "I was informed that the plane carrying Officer Eschel will arrive within the next half-hour."

"_Toda_," Naomi told him.

On schedule, twenty minutes later, the first sounds of the approaching cargo plane filled the air. Tali watched it approach wide-eyed. She had been on airplanes before, but she had never seen anything _that_ big. The guard rattled more keys and the gate slid open. Tony lifted Tali off his lap and stood her on the ground. Then, he stepped in front of Naomi and offered her his arm.

"You do not have to do this," she said, tears shining in her eyes.

"I would like to think that, if the roles were reversed, Adam would do the same for me."

Naomi Eschel reached up and kissed his cheek. "Rivka would love you, too." With that high praise, she slipped her arm through his. Silently, Tali stepped up and took her other hand. Together, the trio made their way to the tarmac.

The huge plane had come to a halt, but the ramp had not yet lowered when they reached it. Tony looked around. Except for the undertakers waiting with the hearse, they were alone. It didn't quite seem fitting. He knew the Shin Bet worked on a different level than Mossad or NCIS, still he couldn't imagine this sort of "homecoming" for one of theirs. With a hiss of hydraulics and the whirr of motors, the cargo ramp began its slow descent. Tali dropped Mrs. Eschel's hand and moved to her father's side. Naomi moved forward, but they didn't follow. No matter his reason for being there, Adam was her son. Tony could see the six IDF members standing inside the plane, each one holding onto part of the railing that ran around the flag-draped casket. Immediately, he straightened to his full height and placed his right hand over his heart. He looked down to catch his daughter's eye then tapped his hand against his chest to show her what she needed to do. Obediently, Tali placed her hand over her heart, standing straight and tall like her father. He was struck with a jolt of fatherly pride. He knew...she got it. She may not understand everything going on, but she knew it was something important. Tony gave her a wink before turning his attention back to the task at hand.

Slowly, the men carried the casket bearing the body of Adam Eschel from the darkness of the cargo hold into the December sunlight. They paused briefly to give the grieving mother one more moment with her son before they slid it into the back of the hearse. As it passed him, Tony thought about the definition of "paying respects" he'd given Tali earlier. This man spent most of his adult life in service to his country. For whatever reason, those he served were either unwilling or unable to acknowledge it with their presence. The world may never know what all he did for the Shin Bet, but Tony knew what he'd done for him. Adam had kept Ziva's biggest secret. He was responsible for making sure Tali reached him safely. He helped Tony find Ziva in Cairo. All these were things that could not be repaid monetarily. Tony wasn't there because he considered Adam to be his friend. In all honesty, he couldn't even say he really _liked_ the man in their brief associations. He wasn't even here for Ziva's sake. He was there to respect someone even though they were dead. Inwardly, Tony laughed. He guessed his impromptu definition was a pretty good one after all.

**Author's Note:**

**This idea came to me while I was driving home yesterday and wouldn't leave until it was written. Thank you to Jen for listening to me ramble through the process of bring this story together. As always, my BFF is a gem for her encouragement. Reviews are AWESOME! Happy Reading. TIVA forever!**


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